1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a facsimile machine, a facsimile system including a plurality of facsimile machines connected by a transmission network, and a memory medium storing a computer program for controlling facsimile machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there has been known a local facsimile machine with a function for storing facsimile numbers of remote facsimile machines, and also a function for storing personal information about the local facsimile machine itself, such as a user name, a company name, and a facsimile number of the local facsimile machine.
Such a conventional facsimile machine transmits image information, which has been retrieved from an original document, to a remote facsimile machine over a public transmission exchange network. At this time, the local facsimile machine also transmits personal information about the local facsimile machine with the image information. As a result, a user of the remote facsimile machine can know the personal information identifying the local facsimile machine. For example, the remote facsimile machine can print the image information and the personal information on the same recording sheet. Alternatively, the remote facsimile machine can display the personal information on a display unit. Then, the user of the remote facsimile machine can prepare and send a reply message to the local facsimile machine if necessary.
However, in many office situations a single facsimile machine is connected to a plurality of personal computers. Each computer is assigned to a separate user, but the single facsimile machine is shared by all the users. When the a user of one of the personal computers transmits image information to a remote facsimile machine using the local facsimile machine, the local facsimile machine transmits its own personal information, rather than personal information about the user, with the image information. Therefore, a user of the remote personal computer may transmit a reply message addressed merely to the local facsimile machine, so that the users of the local facsimile machine will have no way of knowing who the message in intended to reach.
It is an objective of the present invention to overcome the above problems and also to provide a facsimile device, a facsimile system, and a recording medium, capable of registering additional personal information different from personal information about a facsimile machine itself and capable of transmitting the additional personal information along with image information to a remote facsimile device.
In order to achieve the above and other objectives, there in provided a facsimile device communicable with remote devices. The facsimile device includes a scanner that reads image information from an original document, a destination specifying unit that specifics one of the remote devices as a destination, a user specifying unit that specifies a user, a user information generating unit that generates user information identifying a user when the user specifying unit specifies the user, a transmission unit that transmits the image information with the user information to the destination specified by the destination specifying unit.
There is also provided a communication system including at least one computer, a facsimile device operatively connected to the at least one computer, and at least one terminal device communicable with the facsimile device. The facsimile device includes an image information generating unit that generates image information, a terminal device specifying unit that specifies one of the at least one terminal device, a sender specifying unit that specifies one of the at least one computer, a sender information generating unit that generates sender information identifying the computer specified by the sender specifying unit, and a transmission unit that transmits the image information with the sender information to the terminal device specified by the terminal device specifying unit. Each of the at least one terminal device includes a receiving unit that receives the image information and the sender information transmitted from the facsimile device, and a reply unit that automatically prepares a response message and transmits the response message to the computer identified by the sender information. Each of the at least one computer includes a receiving unit that receives the reply message transmitted from the terminal device.
Further, there is provided a medium storing a program of controlling a facsimile device. The program includes programs of designating a destination, selecting one of sender information and device identification information, the sender information identifying a computer connected to the facsimile device, the device identification information identifying the facsimile device, generating image information by reading an image from an original document using a scanner, and transmitting the image information with the selective one of the sender information and the device identification information to the destination.
Still further, there is provided a method of controlling a facsimile device. The method includes the steps of specifying a remote destination using an operation panel provided to the facsimile device, specifying a user of a computer connected to the facsimile device using the operation panel, generating user information identifying the specified user, generating image information by reading an image from an original document using a scanner, and transmitting the image information with the user information to the specified remote destination.